A Little Late
by finalfanaticgorm
Summary: Taming Lorraine Jones, the hot-headed girl he is partners with, seems an impossible task for Nick. However it turns out to be not as impossible as he first believed. Nick/OC friendship. Well, sort of anyway.
1. A Little Late

A little Late

AN: This chapter is the first meeting between Nick and Lorraine (my OC). Enjoy. If you're confused by the style, I was trying to have it so that Lucas or Toby was narrating it. Decide for yourselves.

Lorraine was _always_ late. Not massively, like three hours, just a little. Perhaps that's why people of the opposite gender tended to stay away from her; she was massively disorganized. Plus, she had a fiery temper to match her flaming red hair. How does this tie in with Nick, though?

When Nick started at Venture Falls University, nobody warned him that he would be partners with the most volatile female in the building. They also neglected to tell him that Lorraine liked things doing her way, and woe betide anyone who tried to challenge her. Let's take a look at their first meeting.

Nick's POV

I stood awkwardly at the front of the class, fiddling with my sleeve as Mr Casten looked for my assignment partner. It was bad enough being the new guy, but having to stand up there in front of everyone, it was simply terrifying. Now I understand why Jessica _hates_ giving speeches.

"Mr Tripp?" I hear Mr Casten say enquiringly. I walk over to him and see that he is stood next to an isolated work station.

"Sorry, I'm late, sir!" A voice calls out breathlessly. Turning around, I see that the voice belongs to a pretty red haired girl who is approaching my- well it's not really mine- work station. She stops and looks from Mr Casten to me with a dark frown marring her features.

"Lorraine. This is Nick Tripp. He will be your lab partner for this year." Mr Casten says this gently but firmly as though he is speaking to a wild horse he wants so badly to tame. She looks at me incredulously and I smile in greeting. However, her intentions were quite different. She picked up pieces of equipment and started hurling things around the room, all the time screaming about how she didn't want another partner. Then she grabbed her bag and left, but not before giving me a nasty glare. I noticed that she had cut herself in the process of throwing things.

Mr Casten looked incredibly harassed. "I'm sorry, Nick. Lorraine is a bit- how do you say?- highly strung. I owned a horse like her once. Beautiful mare. Fantastic jumper, but she had a temper like nothing I'd ever seen before. I managed to tame Onyx in the end though, and I'm hoping you'll be able to tame Lorraine. You see, she always gives her partners grief. None of them ever last; longest was four weeks, I believe. I've given her plenty of chances. If she doesn't improve now, I'll have no choice but to exclude her. It's a shame because she's a really good student when she's not losing her temper every five minutes. So I know I'm putting a lot of pressure on you here, but I believe you can reach her. I'm counting on you, Nick."

I nod, just as the bell rings. As I leave, I hear people whispering.

"What's Casten thinking putting the new guy with Lorraine?"

"She'll tear him to pieces!"

"He won't last one day, let alone one year."

I ignore them and walk out the classroom. I immediately head in the direction of the library which is the only place I can remember on the overly-complicated map. However, when I arrive, I see I am not alone.

Lorraine's POV

Ugh. What's he doing here? He does know that he doesn't have to follow me around, just because we're partners? I stand up to leave, nodding to Mrs Brillby as I do so.

"Wait!" He hisses. I turn and regard him with disdain. I feel a certain satisfaction run through my body when he visibly shudders under my glare.

"What?" I snap. I don't have time for this. "If you don't know where anything is, I suggest you ask Reception 'cause you won't get any help from me."

He looks at me before saying, "Actually, I was going to ask if you were okay?"

Say what now? He wants to know if I'm okay? He doesn't want to call me a freak or punch me to a pulp or try and trip me up? I look at him and see that he is giving me an earnest look.

Reluctantly I reply, "Yeah, I'm okay," even though I'm not completely. I don't feel comfortable. He should be making my life a living nightmare by now. Everyone else does.

I walk to a shelf and select my favourite book. I can relate to it, because it's my life in book form. Unfortunately I've never learned the title of the book; the cover is old and worn. He's still there, and he isn't glaring. Why isn't he glaring?

He approaches me, and I instinctively back up into a defensive position. Who does this guy think he is?

"What are you reading?"

A book, duh! I want to say, but I don't want to incur his wrath. Instead, I reluctantly show him my precious book. His brow furrows when he notices that the title is illegible.

"What's it about?"

What is this? Twenty questions? Still, I suppose it would be rude of me not to reply. "Me. It's about me."

"Then you should call it the story of your life."

That...could actually work. I look up and feel myself smiling for the first time in years.

The story of Lorraine Jones.


	2. Flashbacks

Chapter 2

AN: This is the next chapter of "A Little Late" to make up for me not updating for a while. I hope you enjoy it.

Flashback

Lorraine was three years old again. She was sat in front of the TV watching a kids programme when the front door slammed.

"Lorraine. Get your useless self in here and make me a drink!" The drunken voice of Mr Jones sounded throughout the house. Too frightened of her father's temper to disobey, she switched off the TV and walked into the kitchen, standing just where he couldn't reach her.

"Well, get moving then!" He yells at her.

"Yes, Master." She dutifully obeys, pouring out his drink exactly as he likes it, but her father still sees red.

"You useless piece of nothing! Is there a brain in that head of yours?"

She stayed silent. It didn't matter if she replied or not because it always ended in the same way.

"Sarah! Get down here!" He yells up the stairs for his wife.

"What has the thing done this time?" She says, looking at her daughter cowering in front of the dresser, without any sympathy.

"Not important right now. Hold her down." Jake orders as he spots Lorraine trying to crawl away. Sarah lunges forward and grabs her daughter roughly. For the next half hour, all that can be heard is Lorraine's pleas and screams for mercy...

End of Flashback

Lorraine's POV

I thought I'd stopped having those flashbacks a long time. I looked down at my arm and saw several deep crescent shapes. My doctor says it's psychological; I harm myself because that's what I'm used to. That's how I grew up.

He also said that the frequent nightmares of someone trying to kill me were the result of "night terrors" For three years, I wasn't able to sleep a wink because I was too afraid of what sleep might bring.

To this day, I still have trouble sleeping. I look at my clock and it reads 3:51am. It's too early to get up now; the library won't be open for another five hours. I sigh and pull my drawing pad out from under my pillow. Grabbing a pencil haphazardly, I started to draw. I never let anyone see my drawings; they're a part of me. They're my saving grace in this world of hate and anger. Kind of ironic, since Hate and Anger are my best friends right now, Envy and Confusion being my siblings.

Flashback 2

Lorraine was ten years old, sitting in her neighbour's house. Lucy Griffiths had a daughter a little younger than Lorraine. Her husband Michael was on leave from the army. She observed their family closely, watching as Millie dropped her biscuit on the floor accidentally.

Instinctively, Lorraine covered her head and began rocking back and forth, shielding herself from the screams that were undoubtedly sure to follow, but they never came.

"Sorry, Mummy." Millie said, looking at her mother earnestly.

"That's alright. Let's get a sweeping pan and brush and clean up the mess." Lucy said comfortingly.

"Am I in trouble for ruining your new carpet?" Millie says, looking down at her feet.

Lucy smiles. "No, love, it was an accident."

Lorraine was confused. Why wasn't Lucy hurting Millie? Was she a bad mum? Weren't all mums and dads supposed to hurt their children?

After Michael had taken Millie to the park, Lorraine plucked up the courage to ask Lucy her questions.

"Lucy, why didn't you hurt Millie when she was naughty?"

"Well, she wasn't naughty and I don't believe hitting children is right."

"But that makes you a bad mum!" Lorraine protests. "My mum and dad-"

"What?" Lucy probes her young neighbour gently.

"They hit me all the time, and they do other things too. Things I don't want to think about!" She sobs hysterically. "That's normal. Mummies and daddies do it all the time, don't they?"

Lucy had a grim look on her face. She marched over to the phone and dialled a number.

"Hello,this is Lucy Griffiths. I would like to speak to Social Services in regard to a potential child abuse case."

End of Flashback 2

Lorraine's POV

5:32am. Another three and a half hours to go.

I remember that incident vividly. After Lucy rang Social Services, they started coming to see me, asking me questions, some of which confused me, that I did my best to answer.

A month afterwards, Sarah and Jake (I could no longer call them Mum and Dad) appeared in court and were found guilty of all charges, including assault of a minor, sexual assault and rape. They were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and I was unceremoniously shifted into the foster care system, which was my home until the age of sixteen, three years ago.

I look at the alarm clock. 6:13am. Perhaps I have time for a quick shower before I start my panic for getting up ready for another day at uni.

Great.

AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It does contain sensitive content, so I hope I haven't offended/upset anyone.


	3. A New Beginning

A New Beginning

AN: So I know a lot of you have been waiting for the next chapter of A Little Late which is right here!

Lorraine's POV

For once, I arrived at university on time. I guess I was curious to find out just how long my new partner would last before everything went sideways. In other words, how long he would last when his inevitable jibes and bullying got too much for me to handle...again.

The problem was, he didn't seem to be exhibiting any of the signs bullies show. He kept his head down and got on with his work, occasionally glancing at the board before scribbling down his answers to the questions at lightning speed.

Neither of us spoke, I don't talk to people unless absolutely necessary (it used to do my numerous foster parents' heads in) and Nick was concentrating on his work. Just then, I dropped my pen on the floor. I sighed and bent down to pick it up. However I wasn't the only one who had done so; Nick had also dived beneath the table. I didn't know what for until he resurfaced, holding my pen and passing me it.

"Here you go." He says smiling

Completely nonplussed, I take the pen back, trying my hardest not to snatch it, "T-Thank you?" I reply. I am really confused; why is he being so nice to me? It's creeping me out. He should be making my life a misery.

Flashback (still Lorraine's POV)

We were in an practise exam today. A Maths one; that's the only subject I struggle with. My current partner was Mikey West and up until now, he didn't seem too bad. One thing I've taught myself that nothing is ever what it seems, and boy, was I right.

Just then, I dropped my pen on the floor. I would've picked it up myself but bending over at this current point in time would not have been a wise decision, so I turned to Mikey.

"Can you pick up my pen, please? I dropped it and I can't bend to pick it up." I ask.

He turns and glares at me, "Pick it up yourself, freak!," before shoving me off my chair onto the floor. Amidst everyone's laughter, I start to feel light-headed as the years-old cut on my abdomen opens up again. A crimson puddle forms around me as people start to scream and Mikey vomits at the sight of me, lying semi-conscious in a pool of scarlet. I barely registered Mr Casten rushing over to check my pulse before frantically dialling on his phone. I woke up three weeks later in hospital, incredibly sore and even less trusting of people than I had been before.

End of Flashback

I guess I shouldn't be so quick to judge people but everyone I've encountered, male and female, has turned out to be a complete jerk. That doesn't mean it has to always be that way, though. That incident had occurred almost a year ago, though.

I turn and see that Nick is struggling with one of the questions. His face is funny to watch but I figure I should just put him out of his misery.

"The answer is 27.6 to 1 decimal place." I say, pointing at the question. Maybe I'm better at Maths than I thought.

"R-Really? How'd you work it out?" He stammers nervously, with good reason, I must admit, as I clearly remember our first meeting and, apparently, so does he.

As I explain how I solved the problem, he smiles gratefully at me and in a complete 180, I smile back. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mr Casten nearly fall out of his chair in shock. I can't blame him, though, because I don't remember the last time I smiled. Heck, I don't remember ever smiling at all in my nineteen years so far.

I suppose I've already had my story but it was so tragic someone decided to give me a second chance. I doubt I deserve it but perhaps this is the new beginning to my story. A reason for my hope to be rekindled.

AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review what you think :-)


	4. Changed Outlook

Changed Outlook

AN: So here is the newest installment of A Little Late. Hope you enjoy it and please review! Let me know what you think :-)

Normal POV

It was another normal day at Venture Falls University. Mr Casten sat at his desk, smiling like a cat who had gotten the cream. His gaze was fixed on two students in particular; Nick and Lorraine.

At first, Mr Casten had had no idea what he was doing, choosing Lorraine to be Nick's partner for the academic year, after all, the entire faculty knew her history. Then, yesterday, Nick had managed to make Lorraine smile; a feat that had been previously impossible to accomplish.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. The class began eagerly packing away their things. Mr Casten stood up, "Alright, class dismissed! Oh, and Nick? Can you stay behind for a moment, please?"

As all the other students left, Nick walked up to Mr Casten's desk. "Yes, Sir?"

Mr Casten looked up, "Ah, Nick. Tell me: what have you noticed about Lorraine?"

Nick was completely thrown by the sudden question. "Well, I don't think she likes people very much. She's emotionally fragile, from what I've seen. Other than that, I haven't noticed anything else. Pardon me for asking, but why do you want to know, Sir?"

Mr Casten sighs. "I can't tell you everything, Nick. Let's just say Lorraine had a tough start to life and is still suffering from the repercussions. I'm sure when she trusts you a little more, she'll tell you. I cannot, you see, because it would be breaking her confidence."

Nick nods, moving toward the door. "Okay, Sir, have a good day."

Lorraine's POV

I wondered why Mr Casten had asked Nick to stay behind. Maybe he's considering switching partners. Wait, why does the idea sound so awful in my head? I guess it's because Nick is the only person who hasn't hated me at first sight.

I sit down outside the classroom and pull out my book. Flipping to page 394, I start to read. All of a sudden, my ears detect mincing footsteps. Great.

I look up and see Lloyd James and his cronies stomping their way towards me. I close my book. There's no point in trying to finish this chapter, anyway.

"Alright, freak?" I ignore him. That insult grew old a long time ago and, therefore, has no effect on me.

"I'm talking to you, freak! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Lloyd yells, trying to force me to look at him.

"Don't touch me!" I scream, moving backwards, my arms up in a defensive position. One of his cronies bends down and picks up my book, carelessly flicking the pages.

"What have we here?," he sneers. The gang sniggers at my futile attempts to escape from Lloyd's grasp. I scream as Lackey No.1 tears my book. All my life. Everything I can relate to, gone. I'll never get it back.

I push past them, tears stinging my eyes. Before I can stop myself, I find myself sobbing as I rush down the corridor, nearly knocking someone over in the process.

Nick's POV

As I came out of the classroom, I was promptly knocked over by someone running down the corridor, sobbing. I looked up and saw a mass of red waves disappear around the corner. Only one person I know has hair like that.

I walk in the direction she had come from, and the first thing I see is her book torn to pieces. I see Lloyd James and his cronies sniggering and I immediately know that they are responsible for this. I kneel down and pick up every page before carefully placing them in my bag.

That night (Nick's POV)

I opened my bag and surveyed the pages within. I had two options; I could either glue the book back together (risky but at least she will still have her book) or I could retype the entire book. Then again, I could go for both options. Yes, that's what I'll do. I don't know why but I feel like I need to make her happy. I've seen her smile once; all I want is to see it again.

Sighing, I move toward the computer, armed with a gluestick. I sit down, resigning myself to a long night. It will be worth it, though.

Next day (Lorraine's POV)

I was seriously considering not going to uni today, but one thing I am not is a coward. There is absolutely no way I am letting Lloyd James know he's gotten to me. I just wish I had my book. I could relate to it in a way I've never been able to relate to people.

I glance up at the clock. It's only 7:45am. Uni officially starts at 9am. I was awake all night (blame the chronic insomnia). I'm currently the only person here.

Suddenly the door swings open and Nick staggers in, looking half-asleep and clutching a wad of papers. Funny, I don't remember Mr Casten setting any homework. He spots me and makes a beeline for me.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here yet," he says, sitting down, wisely keeping a slight distance between us. I'll admit I trust him more than I've ever trusted anyone but I'm not ready for any physical contact between us, as odd as that sounds.

"Neither was I." I admit, my attention now drawn to the wad of papers he is holding so carefully. "What are you holding?" I say, gesturing to the paper in his arms.

He takes a deep breath. "I-well-I-uh-" he gibbers, unable to form an intelligible response. Instead he offers me the wad of paper. I take it and read the first few lines. No way.

"Is that-is it-" I stammer, too overcome with emotion to speak normally.

"The first copy is the original which I glued back together. The second copy I typed up myself. It might not make sense in some places because I kept dozing off but-"

I cut him off by hugging him tightly. "I can't believe you did that for me!" Then, completely unexpectedly, I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. I think I might be starting to learn to love again. Maybe my outlook on love has changed.

AN: You know what to do. Read and review!


	5. Revealed Truth

Revealed Truth

Lorraine's POV

What am I doing? I shouldn't be hugging him; that's the last thing I should be doing. I shove him away from me. Surprisingly, he looks hurt but not angry, as I was expecting.

Suddenly he tries to put his arm around me. The fears of being touched intensified and I screamed "No!" shoving him away from me.

Nick's POV

As she started punching me repeatedly (which I could take), I quite quickly realised something. She didn't like being touched, she had never mentioned her family, she always wore long sleeves and she spent all her time by herself. With that information, I could only come to one conclusion.

"You were abused, weren't you?" I ask softly. She immediately stops punching me and stiffens, making me know I was right.

"What's it to you?" She says, sounding like she was about to start crying. "What does it matter anyway? I'm not important!" She sniffled, trying to hold in the tears but ultimately failing.

"You're important to me." I said quietly, looking directly into her emerald-green gaze.

Lorraine's POV

D-Did he just say that? I'm important to him? Part of me feels flattered but the other part is more suspicious. I try to quell the suspicious part; this isn't just anyone, this is Nick, the one person willing to stand by me. He raises an eyebrow at me as I start pacing. It's what I do whenever I'm filled with indecision (which, to be quite frank, is a lot of the time).

I take a deep breath. Whether I'm ready or not, I need to tell the truth. After all his kindness towards me, I owe him that much.

"My mom and dad were Sarah and Jake Jones," I began haltingly. "They never wanted kids so from the moment of my birth, I was made to feel like an accident, an insect that had crawled its way into their home, their lives. My mom never fed me, just left me to cry. By the time I was two, I had learnt that there was no point in crying anymore."

I look over at Nick who is staring attentively at me. He nods and I take another deep breath. "That's when it all started. They would hit me, starve me, beat me and from the age of six, Dad would-"

I see him clench his fists in anger and I instinctively flinch away, "No man should ever do that to their daughter!" He seethes furiously. I put my hand on his shoulder and smile. Wow, look at me being the calming one for a change! It feels a lot better than being angry all the time. I didn't even think I knew how to be anything other than angry.

When he has visibly calmed down, I continued, "The abuse went on for eight years until I was ten. My neighbour Lucy Griffiths rang Social Services after I told her she was a bad mom for not hitting their daughter because mine hit me all the time."

It's weird. I thought it would be hard to actually reveal the truth but the words come flowing out of me before I can stop them. His gaze is still fixed on me, oddly enough not making me uncomfortable.

"After several trials and court dates, Sarah and Jake (you can probably understand why I don't call them Mom and Dad) were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. I was shunted into the foster care system until the age of sixteen."

Nick's POV

I don't think I've ever heard such a tragic tale in all my life. Some of the things she revealed to me were so horrifying, I can't bring myself to think about them. She must have suffered in silence for so long. Unable to hold myself back, I lean in and kiss the top of her head. She blinks owlishly at me but doesn't react negatively. "You don't have to suffer alone anymore," I say, putting my arm around her, causing her to stiffen at first but she eventually leant her head on my shoulder. "Share your pain with me."

We sit there,holding each other tightly. The lull of the generator is oddly calming and the next moment, I find myself drifting off.

Mr Casten's POV

I walked down the corridor to my classroom, fumbling in my pocket for my key, when I nearly trip over something. On closer inspection, I realise that the "something" is actually Nick and Lorraine, curled up in each other's arms, caught up in the throes of sleep.

"A-ha!" I whisper triumphantly as I finally manage to free the God-forsaken key from the far too small pocket. I turn the key in the lock as quietly as possible and enter the classroom, a huge smile spreading across my face.

Nick has made more progress with Lorraine than anyone else. She's never let anyone get this close before. Hmm, I wonder...

AN: So what does Mr Casten think? More importantly, what do you guys think? I hope you enjoy this chapter.


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